Kia Kee Concept

This new sports coupe is the "key" to Kia's future styling.

If you'd like a glimpse of what the next new Kia will look like, feast your eyes on the very un-Kia-like (read: sporty) Kee concept that made its world premier at the Frankfurt show. Officials said this 4-seat sports coupe signifies "a landmark moment in the Kia Motor Corporation's evolution into a major global automotive company."

The Kee was styled at Kia's European design studio in Frankfurt, Germany, under the guidance of Peter Schreyer, Kia's Chief Design Officer. Schreyer said the somewhat strange-to-say Kia Kee is named as such because "Kee refers to the English word 'key' as the coupe embodies design elements which will become essential to the future 'look' of Kia vehicles." He also added that the coupe "represents the 'key' which will open the door to success for our brand..."

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Beyond all the public relations/marketing hyperbole, there is no doubt the Kee is by far the most dramatic Kia to date. And the first one we truly can't wait to drive. The concept is powered by 200-bhp 2.7-liter MUE-II "next-generation" V-6 mated to a 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters behind the steering wheel. The concept is front-wheel drive, though Kia says the car could be built as a rear-driver or with all-wheel drive. A large proportion of the car is made of aluminum and plastic to keep things light (though weight was not divulged). The Kee — which measures 170.3 in. overall — is about 3 in. shorter than a Hyundai Tiburon, though it is considerably wider and lower than its fellow Korean sports coupe. It rides on 20-in. wheels and sports dual central-outlet exhausts.

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Neat exterior features include milled-aluminum B-pillars (visible through gray-tinted glass), electronic door releases set into the side-window glass and a clamshell rear hatch supported by electronic dampers.

Inside, much of the car is covered with a semi-suede material, including the race-car-like square-bottom steering wheel. The shifter for the automatic is in the shape of a computer mouse, which flips up to reveal the electronic starter button. Although the interior's main controls are fly-by-wire, Kia says in actual operation they feel traditional.

For now, officials are saying the Kee is "primarily a concept vehicle." But they also said that if public demand for the car is high enough, "it could easily go into production." And without doubt, the Kee's grille will become "the new face of Kia across the product range."